For a year we waited by Athens for Knossos to attack. After all, they had three large armies hanging out by our shores, so it seemed almost a certainty that they would be invading our lands.
But a year passed, and nothing happened with those fleets. Eventually they left, and we headed north back towards Malva. I was sad to leave Athens though, over the past year I have grown quite fond of that city, with its warm sun, fields of trees with ripe oranges on them, and rolling green hills overlooking the ocean. But for now, my duty is to my people, so such thoughts must be put aside.
War came in the springtime with the Celtic Confederation. They declared war on us for us not allowing their forces free access of the Danube. Silly reason if you ask me, as they were embroiled in a large war to the north and could not afford to attack us, or even declare war on us.
So after waiting a little bit to see what they would do, we attacked them, striking at their lands since they seemingly would not attempt to strike at ours.
Our army with a second army led by a relatively new general named Bikili crossed the Bosporus strait and laid siege to Nicomedia, the closest Celtic stronghold to our lands.
We waited a few weeks to see if the Celtic Confederation could muster an army to help their garrison, and when we saw that they had no help coming, we assaulted the city.
It was a gloriously sunny day, the sun shining off our helmets like a thousand small suns.
Dadas, being the seasoned general that he is, rode around the lines, stirring us up for the battle to come. It was going to be a hard fight, the enemy was prepared for us. But he told us that every man’s actions today would count for the final victory. With that, he called for volunteers for the forlorn hope, the first men to go over the walls. I had a feeling that fate would want me over those walls first, so I joined the fated men of the forlorn hope.
For some odd reason, a few Celtic units boarded ships and began to sail down the coast. Seemingly they were trying to escape.
Then they pointed towards shore, right next to our lines. Were they trying to land and then attack our flanks? Either way, our cavalry and horse archers lined up to tackle the problem.
They landed, and were promptly cut down by two hundred arrows fired all at once at them.
Whoever was left after the first few volleys were beset upon by our cavalry, who easily wiped out the surviving Celtic soldiers.
With the way clear to the walls, we began moving our ladders towards the city.
We had eight ladders. The enemy could not defend everywhere, so in some places our men climbed over the walls with no resistance.
Other units were not as lucky. The defenders had many skirmishing units ready, and they let loose a volley as soon as our men came over the walls. Dozens of men were cut down immediately. I was not among them, thankfully. Then the survivors of those units had to fight through hundreds of defenders with diminished numbers. It’s a miracle how none of our units were completely wiped out.
We were prepared for this situation, and had reinforcements waiting right at the base of the ladders, instead of having them rush towards the walls from where the generals were. While some men were hit and killed by missile fire while waiting by the ladders, more of our men were saved by the reinforcements who were immediately available. It was a wise decision, and had it been taken in previous siege assaults, many lives of good warriors would have been saved.
We climbed over the walls on the right end of our assault, meeting little resistance. We quickly focused our attack on the flank of the Celtic unit who were trying to fight off one of our assaulting units to the left of us.
The fight was a very bloody one. The defenders were very skilled with a sword, and it was a challenge to get the best of them. They were our equals. Maybe they did not have the experience we did in battle, but they certainly knew how to use their swords very effectively. If it was not for our experience I don’t think many of us would have survived unscathed.
We slowly hacked our way through the Celtic defenders, relieving the pressure on our beleaguered brothers in arms. The blood flowed freely, and my body was soon covered in blood, both the blood of my brothers and the blood of my enemies.
Finally the last defenders at the walls were cut down or chased off, and our men flowed like a swollen river over the walls. The capture of the city was imminent!
The amount of bloodshed just by the walls was horrific. Over a thousand people lay dead by our feet, and the killing was not quite done yet.
The units which took the most casualties were held back to rest while the rest of us pressed forward towards the center of town. Being among the most experienced, Dadas and Bikili chose my unit to lead the charge!
As we approached the center, the archers in their towers began firing at us. We picked up our pace, starting at a slow jog and then breaking into a full on sprint as we charged up the hill towards the waiting Celtic defenders.
We slammed into the waiting shields and swords of the defenders, throwing ourselves at them in order to break their shield wall.
The fighting was fierce. We swung wildly at each other at first, and soon the frantic swings became more calculated. I managed to kill him with a jab to the neck, but not before he deeply cut into my thigh.
The defenders fought with a tenacity that I have not seen since we fought Athens in Pella all those years ago. We had to fight tooth and nail for every meter we went forward. But we were pushing them back, even if it was slower than expected.
Finally we spotted the leader of the garrison. He was surrounded by his men, shouting encouragement in a vain hope that if he held us off our whole army would leave. Fool, there were thousands of us left and a mere handful left of them. But I did admire the man for the attempt.
Finally we cut through his bodyguard, and I came face to face with the commander himself. He took a swing at me, and I parried and returned in kind. He dodged it, and jabbed at my legs. His sword sunk deep into my already injured left thigh. I yelled out in pain, forcing myself to stay on my feet. He had a look of hate on his face. He clearly wanted to kill me, and he advanced towards me, coming in for the kill. I didn’t let him though; I threw my weight behind my shield, knocking him off balance, allowing me to drive my sword through his chest.
I sank to my knees because the pain in my left leg was far too great to remain standing. Another defender, seemingly in anguish over the death of his friends and seeing my vulnerability, charged at me. With my remaining strength I thrust my sword up, cutting into his stomach which he left wide open when he charged at me. But then my legs gave out, and I sank to the ground along with my opponent.
A fellow soldier helped carry me back to our camp. We had taken the city with just under six hundred losses. None of our units were wiped out, so that was very positive news.
The Celtic Confederation leaders soon came to us with a peace deal. They apparently had enough and wanted an end to the hostilities. Which was fine by us, we didn’t really want to continue this war with them anyhow. It was a drain on our resources and for little gain so it was better to end the hostilities than to keep on fighting for no real reason.
Our leaders decided to not occupy the city which we had just conquered. Instead, we gave it back to their rightful owners, the local tribe of Bithynia. With them we secured an ally across the Bosporus who could hold off any attacking foes from crossing into our lands from Anatolia. With peace negotiated and an ally gained, our armies crossed the strait and headed back into our lands.
After the battle, I was worked on by the army surgeon. He wanted to cut my leg off since it was in such a severe condition but I begged him to let me keep it. I did not want to live the rest of my life as a total cripple. I would rather take my chances than be doomed to live on the streets like I've seen so many invalids before. He obliged, and after he cleaned my wound of the blood and closed it up with thin string and a needle, he sent me on my way. I could not walk without assistance so I got to ride the wagons with the other wounded on our way back to our lands.
Weeks and months passed and my leg did not fully heal. I still walked with a limp, rendering me unfit for combat.
I was in shock. I had been fighting in the service of my people for over twelve years now. I knew nothing else. My life before joining the army was gone. Everyone I knew from my old life was gone; Varga, Charnabon, and most importantly, my family who had been killed all those years ago. They seemed like a distant memory now, and I wondered if they could see me from the afterlife, and I wondered if they would approve.
I had accomplished so much while in the army of our people. I had helped expand our lands, bringing us into the world stage. Now nobody could ignore us like they once did. We had conquered the Odrysian Kingdom, we had wiped out the infamous Spartans, and most importantly, we had crushed the great nation of Athens! The history books will sing the songs of our victories! I do not know what will become of our nation, but I have confidence that we will come out victorious of every trial and tribulation we will face in the years to come.
As for me, I think I will return to Athens permanently, maybe even grow my own orange grove. I might have known only war for the past decade, but I am sure I will be able to adapt to a much deserved life of peace.
Fin.
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